Lithuania’s PM: timely decisions needed to accelerate process of Ukraine’s EU accession

VILNIUS - One of Lithuania’s priorities during its presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) next year will be consistent efforts to ensure that Ukraine becomes a member of the bloc by 2030, Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Sergiy Koretsky.

"During our presidency of the Council of the European Union, one of our priorities will be the continued process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU. I emphasized that this requires not only political efforts - Lithuania has always provided political support to Ukraine and continues to do so strongly - but it will also require efforts on Ukraine’s part, including not only government actions but also decisions by the Verkhovna Rada that would enable the accession process to proceed in a timely manner," the head of the Lithuanian government said during a press conference on Monday.

"The goal remains unchanged, we want Ukraine to become a member of the European Union by 2030, and we will work consistently toward that end," he stressed.

Lithuania will hold the presidency of the Council of the EU starting in January 2027.

Sinkevicius emphasized that Lithuania has firmly supported, supports, and will continue to support Kyiv, and is committed to allocating at least 0.25 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to support.

Among other things, the prime minister stressed that Lithuania must take more intensive action to implement the Lithuanian-Ukrainian drone agreement.

"I thank Ukraine for making us one of the first to be given the opportunity to sign the so-called "drone deal", but since the signing, we must, in my view, take more intensive action that would benefit both countries," he said.

"The security of our region... is inextricably linked to the situation in Ukraine, which is why we are making our greatest efforts here," Sinkevicius said.

For his part, Koretsky noted that the Ukrainian side would expedite all bureaucratic processes related to the implementation of the agreement, as they had been "delayed" due to political changes in the governments of Vilnius and Kyiv.

The drone agreement signed last spring will allow Lithuania to benefit from Ukraine’s experience in the field of drone technology.

On Monday, Sinkevicius continues his two-day visit to Ukraine, where he is meeting with the country’s leaders and other officials.

On Sunday, he met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Koretsky in the northwestern city of Lutsk. The agenda of his visit also includes meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The meetings mainly focus on Lithuania’s continued support for Ukraine and on Ukraine’s most pressing needs as it prepares for the upcoming winter season. Discussions on cooperation in the defense industry are also planned.